A native of Chicago, former police detective and now romantic suspense author Chris Karslen grew up with a love of history and books. Her parents loved traveling, a passion they passed on to her. She’s had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

Though her desire to write began in her teens, Chris spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies before she decided to pursue her dreams. Chris is the author of the romantic thrillers Golden Chariot, Byzantine Gold and numerous other romance novels.

Now a fulltime writer, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue horse.

I want to entertain the reader with my stories. I want to share my love of certain things, like places, history, and time travel. It’s my way of saying, this is why I love England or Turkey or history etc. I like using the characters to present a “what if” question and have the reader join me in asking it to.

Her inspiration for Byzantine Gold…

Charlotte and Atakan from Golden Chariot—I like them and wanted to show how their relationship progressed. I also liked many of the support characters. I wanted to bring them back. The best way is another shipwreck. I liked using Turkey, as I did in Golden Chariot but also liked the idea of keeping the setting in that region but not necessarily Turkish waters, but someplace a bit different. I needed it to be a place that Atakan still had authority. I set it in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The setting is beautiful and it still, for Americans, has an unusual flavour.

The next thing was what to do with Atakan and Charlotte. I had to resolve the issue of Tischenko and I welcomed the idea of fleshing him out more. I knew I’d set him on a path of revenge but I needed something more for the plot. Terrorism is a global problem. Artifact smuggling is one source of funding for terrorist organizations. I did not want to do the usual Al-Qaeda situation. I chose a terrorist organization that originated in Turkey and is in Iraq and Iran now too, the PKK. The extreme militant wing of the PKK presents an on-going problem in Turkey.

I picked a Byzantine ship because I love some of the art and jewellery from the period.

Her hero and heroine…

Atakan Vadim is an agent for the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. He has his PHD in archaeology. Fact: The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism has a representative present at all legitimate archaeological sites in the country. Their job is to oversee the safe handling of recovered artifacts along with site safety and preservation.

He is from a middle class family and grew up near the town of Milas in the Mugla Province. His father was a career military man and his mother oversaw the family orchards in his father’s absence. Atakan has a married sister. He’s close to his family but can’t see them often due to distance. Istanbul is over 400 kilometres from Milas.

Atakan is a consummate professional. He is a reserved man unless he knows you well, then he shows his dry sense of humour and with Charlotte his very sensual side. He has a strong sense of honour and ethical code. He’s not a man driven to “obtain or possess” things. His apartment is functional although he has an interesting display of collectibles which are family heirlooms. His apartment has a beautiful view of the Bosphorus Strait and that is more important to him than high end furniture. Nice suits are his one very expensive taste. He likes to dress well on the job.

Charlotte Dashiell is an American nautical archaeologist who just received her PHD. She’s outspoken and extremely determined in her pursuits, which sometimes disturbs, sometimes worries and sometimes amuses Atakan.

She’s the daughter of a Chicago policeman and a homemaker. Her parents divorced when she was a teen and her father remarried to a Chicago policewoman and her mother is remarried to a wealthy businessman. Charlotte also has an older brother who’s a member of the Chicago Police Department SWAT team She too is close to her family and tries to visit once a year.

Like Atakan, she is the consummate professional when working a shipwreck recovery team. She’s not overtly vain as her job requires her to keep her hair simple, she’s diving most days and not concerned with makeup. Conservation work on the relics is hard on a manicure. That said, she has a jealous streak when it comes to Atakan. She’s not above passing an acerbic comment or two when she’s introduced to a former girlfriend of his. When she has the opportunity, she does take pride in her appearance and dresses nicely.

Her guilty pleasure is belly dancing for Atakan. She takes lessons in Istanbul, where they live. Atakan is a big fan.

About the cover art…

The overall concept was mine. Although most of the story takes place in Cyprus, Istanbul has such distinctive architecture and buildings I wanted something of it on the cover so a reader knows the story has a different setting. I wanted the shipwreck and divers because of the nature of the story. This is what draws the characters to this place. I worked closely with the designer. I asked her to look at my previous cover, and the trailer for Byzantine Gold, which I was very happy with, and to look at my book boards for both this and Golden Chariot on my Pinterest page. She had the idea for the bullets and crosshairs in the lettering. She put all my wishes together and came up with a cover I love.

Her advice to aspiring authors…

Do join a critique group. You need other eyes to read your work. Your family and friends will avoid hurting your feelings and as a result are often not as honest as you need them to be.

Take classes or if you can afford it, go to conferences and seminars to learn the craft. If you can’t afford workshops, then buy books from the experts. Three I like and keep in my desk and reference are: Writing the Breakout Novel and The Fire in Fiction by Don Maass, and Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Deb Dixon.

Develop a tough skin and accept the fact that your early drafts (and that’s what they are, drafts) are not ready to send to an editor or agent or to self-publish. Every new writer believes what they’ve written is perfect. Perhaps there’s someone out there this is true for but I can’t think of any. Hemingway said, “There’s no such thing as writing, only rewriting.” Stephen King in his book, “On Writing,” said, he never lets anyone see his first draft.

Read books in the genre you want to write in. This is important. You need to have an idea of how stories in that genre flow, how tension and action and characterization is handled. Literary fiction is generally not the same style as a thriller. The readership of different genres have different expectations.

When you read a scene that is especially moving or well done, or one that stands out to you, then dissect it. See what it is that “makes” the scene work so well for you and try to do the same but with your own spin.

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Book Description

A sunken warship from the Byzantine Era carrying an unusual cargo of gold has been found off the coast of Northern Cyprus. News of the valuable cache has attracted the attention of a terrorist cell. They plan to attack the recovery team’s campsite and steal the artifacts. On the Black Market, the sale of the relics will buy them additional weapons.

Charlotte Dashiell, an American archaeologist, and her lover, Atakan Vadim, a Turkish government agent, are scheduled to be part of the recovery team that brings up the artifacts. While en route to Cyprus, they find themselves caught in the crosshairs of Maksym Tischenko, a Ukrainian contract killer bent on revenge. Charlotte, Atakan and Tischenko share a grim history. As a result, Tischenko is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal—seeing them both dead.

A sunken warship from the Byzantine Era carrying an unusual cargo of gold has been found off the coast of Northern Cyprus. News of the valuable cache has attracted the attention of a terrorist cell. They plan to attack the recovery team’s campsite and steal the artifacts. On the Black Market, the sale of the relics will buy them additional weapons.

Charlotte Dashiell, an American archaeologist, and her lover, Atakan Vadim, a Turkish government agent, are scheduled to be part of the recovery team that brings up the artifacts. While en route to Cyprus, they find themselves caught in the crosshairs of Maksym Tischenko, a Ukrainian contract killer bent on revenge. Charlotte, Atakan and Tischenko share a grim history. As a result, Tischenko is a man who will stop at nothing to achieve his goal—seeing them both dead.

Being a great fan of nautical archaeology, exotic settings and long lost treasures, I absolutely loved this book. It is pure entertainment from start to finish. I had the pleasure of reading and reviewing the first book in the series, Golden Chariot, and that was also a great read, but I have to say that this second installment was even better. The relationship between the hero and heroine–American archaeologist Charlotte and Turkish agent Atakan–evolves and deepens and their love scenes are a lot more playful, steamy and exciting. Karslen weaves the exotic aspects of the setting, the sensuality of the sea, and the sights and sounds of Cyprus to add even more thrill to their loving relationship. We also see a more complex human side to cold-blooded villain Tischenko that is quite interesting.

Then, of course, there’s the constant threat and danger, not only from Tischenko with his revengeful agenda but from a Kurdish terrorist who wants to steal the artifacts and sell them in the black market in order to support the PKK. I loved the tension-filled, underwater segments between Charlotte and the terrorist, as they dive together and she becomes more and more suspicious about his identity. He, of course, is pretending to be an archaeologist like the rest of them, when in reality he doesn’t know much about it.

The novel is written in multiple points of view separated by chapters, which works well with this type of thriller, making the action move at a quick pace. The dialogue is sharp and natural and Charlotte and Atakan are good at witty, darkly humorous comebacks and retorts.

If you enjoy romantic suspense or stories about treasures and archaeology set in exotic locales, I highly recommend you pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed.

The World of Ink Network will be touring author Jack Remick’s contemporary women’s literary novel, Gabriela and The Widow published by Coffeetown Press throughout January and February 2013. ISBN: 978-1-60381-147-7 Publication Date: January 15, 2013

Gabriela and The Widow is the story of Gabriela, a 19 year old Mexican woman who migrates north (to El Norte) where she meets a dying 92 year old woman, The Widow. The novel is their story.

About the Book:

Through the intimate bond of a companion and benefactor, Gabriela reconciles the painful experiences of her youth as she is reshaped by the Widow, La Viuda. Together, day after day, night after night, La Viuda immerses Gabriela in lists, boxes, places, times, objects, photos, and stories, captivating and life-changing stories. It seems Gabriela is not just hired to cook and clean; she has been chosen to curate La Viuda’s mementos while taking care of the old woman’s failing health. “As you grow thick, I grow thin,” says the widow, portending the secret of immortality that will overtake both women.

Gabriela and The Widow is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com. After January 15, 2013, it will also be available in multiple eBook and 6×9 trade paperback editions on BN.com, the European Amazons and Amazon Japan.

Wholesale orders can be placed through info@coffeetownpress.com Baker & Taylor or Ingram. Libraries can also purchase books through Follett Library Resources or Midwest Library Service.

Jack Remick is a poet, short story writer and novelist. In 2012, Coffeetown Press published the first two volumes of Jack’s California Quartet series, The Deification and Valley Boy. The final two volumes will be released in 2013: The Book of Changes and Trio of Lost Souls. Blood, A Novel was published by Camel Press, an imprint of Coffeetown Press, in 2011. You can find Jack online at http://jackremick.com

It is difficult to believe that so many women still live in extreme violence and are killed in the hands of their partners. We all want to think that this doesn’t happen. But as Aabra shows in Taliban Escape, violence against women is a growing problem.

Taliban Escape is about one woman’s struggle to free herself from the shackles of violence and abuse in the Taliban. Adeela was brought up in a very repressed and violent environment. As she was growing up, she witnessed most of the members of her family killed, including her mother, sister, and beloved aunt. The father was the king of the house and women were considered far beneath them. Female children were so shunned that the mother would be violently abused if she bore a daughter.

Neither were girls allowed to get an education or read books. But Adeela had a wonderful aunt who taught her to read and opened a whole life of freedom and emancipation for her. But she disappeared never to be seen again. No one knew if she was killed or if she escaped. Adeela’s relationship with her aunt made her dream of a better life. But Adeela suffered much before she was able to emancipate herself and escape.

This is one of the most intense books I ever read. It’s hard to come to terms with the fact that there is so much cruel violence against women in the world. But since one in three women is currently suffering from some type of abuse in the hands of their partners, this book is an important one for all of us to read and ponder. This story was inspiring and very disturbing in places. After reading Taliban Escape, I now see women’s reality very differently. Thank you Aabra for such a wonderfully courageous and inspiring book!

Aabra has a degree in Psychology from Temple University. She has been writing most of her life and has eight published novels, including Taliban Love Slave, Sailing into Darkness, and her latest novel Time of Fear. All her books are written anonymously.

This review first appeared in Blogcritics Magazine

About the Reviewer:

Irene S. Roth, MA is a Philosophical Psychologist. She writes and reviews books about philosophy, psychology and self-help as well as many other kinds of books. She reviews for Blogcritics, Midwest Book Review, Americann Chronicle, Redroom, Gather, Goodreads, Shelfari, Mom Bloggers and a lot more. She lives in Ontario, Canada.

Jennifer Conner’s latest romantic suspense is a thrilling, steaming read that will be enjoyed by fans of the genre.

Handsome, sharp-witted, and smartass Devan Burke is a detective working for the LAPD. In the evenings, he likes to keep himself wired up by ordering double espressos from the Naughty Latte stand’s drive-through, especially because of the pretty blond working there. Dev is a loner and blames himself for the death of a kid during a store shootout, during which he was also shot in the leg and, as a result, has been limping and using a cane since then.

Beautiful and just as sharp-witted and smartass as Dev, Luci Lombard is working at the Naughty Latte stand in order to support herself through school at the University of Chinese Culture and Health Studies.

One night, only a few minutes after Dev leaves the coffee stand, he receives a message that the place has just been robbed. Back at the stand, he finds a very distraught Luci lying on the floor with her hands tied behind her back. Fortunately, the assailant didn’t have enough time to rape her. Although the robber was wearing a mask, she remembers he was wearing cowboy boots and tattoos on his arm: strange octagon symbols mixed into a vine. Dev offers to bring her to the hospital and then home.

Since she doesn’t have medical insurance, he very generously pays for her medical bills. To show her appreciation, Luci decides to help Dev with his leg problem so he can get back in active duty. She believes his pain and limp could be improved with the aid of a chiropractor and holistic medicine. Though Dev is skeptical at first, he decides to let Luci help him. Thus, their relationship begins to evolve, rising in intensity as their feelings for each other deepen.

But the man with the tattoos isn’t a simple robber. In fact, he’s a member of the Mafia. And he hasn’t forgotten Luci and is intent on finishing what he started…

Shot in the Dark is a light, quick, very entertaining read filled with lots of romance and lots of suspense. Having read Conner’s work before, I know she has a soft spot for tortured, imperfect heroes with big hearts who at times suffer a disability. In this case, it’s Dev’s leg and how it affects his self image and self esteem, and how, with a smart and kind heroine, he outgrows those feelings of insecurity. Her heroines are intelligent and independent, yet feminine enough to turn to their heroes for protection when needed. A very nice combination. The story, which moves at a good pace, is mainly told from both from Dev’s and Luci’s points of view, separated by chapters, so the readers get to know the feelings and motivations of both characters. Some chapters are also told from the robber’s point of view. If you’re a fan of romantic suspense, you’ll want to pick this one up.

H. W. “Buzz” Bernard is a writer and retired meteorologist. His debut novel, Eyewall, which one reviewer called a “perfect summer read,” was released in May 2011 and went on to become a best-seller in Amazon’s Kindle Store.

Before retiring, Buzz worked at The Weather Channel in Atlanta, Georgia, as a senior meteorologist for 13 years. Prior to that, he served as a weather officer in the U.S. Air Force for over three decades. He attained the rank of colonel and received, among other awards, the Legion of Merit.

His “airborne” experiences include a mission with the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, air drops over the Arctic Ocean and Turkey, and a stint as a weather officer aboard a Tactical Air Command airborne command post (C-135).

In the past, he’s provided field support to forest fire fighting operations in the Pacific Northwest, spent a summer working on Alaska’s arctic slope, and served two tours in Vietnam. Various other jobs, both civilian and military, have taken him to Germany, Saudi Arabia and Panama.

He’s a native Oregonian and attended the University of Washington in Seattle where he earned a bachelor’s degree in atmospheric science; he also studied creative writing.

Deep in the secret recesses of a Cold War lab, the Russians created tons of deadly bio-weapons. Now, decades later, a protege of that Russian research is about to release weaponized Ebola into the heart of the South’s most iconic city: Atlanta, where the symbols of American “decadence” range from a happily diverse population to the Coca-Cola museum and CNN headquarters.

A preliminary test of the horrifying virus demonstrates the unspeakable suffering of its victims–and alerts the Centers for Disease Control that a terrible pandemic is in the making. CDC Virologist Dr. Dwight Butler begins a frantic effort to track down the source of the virus before it’s too late.

For new BioDawn CEO Richard Wainwright, it quickly becomes clear that the “accidental” plane crash that killed the pharmaceutical company’s entire executive hierarchy may have some connection to the evolving threat. Suddenly, Richard is being stalked by a hit woman. He and Butler join forces to find the lone terrorist at the center of a plan that could unleash the Black Plague of the 21st century.

I’d have to guess that people who love writing probably have some inherent or genetic predisposition for it. My father was a prolific writer (text books) and I discovered at an early age I enjoyed both reading and writing. I began writing short stories–to some minor acclaim–in high school, authored five nonfiction books between 1979 and 1993, then focused on becoming a novelist beginning in 2000. But–and this is a big BUT–just because you can write well doesn’t mean you can write novels. To do that you must learn a craft, and it took me ten years to do that. To draw an analogy, just because you can hammer together a coffee table doesn’t mean you can build a house; that requires learning a different craft.

What was your inspiration for Plague?

I was inspired by a nonfiction book, Richard Preston’s Hot Zone, a best seller in the mid-1990s. As I read the book, I became fascinated by the Ebola virus and scared to death by the thought there might be an airborne version of it. Novelists, thriller writers in particular, love things that scare folks. So, I began thinking about how I could craft all of this into a scary novel.

What themes do you like to explore in your writing?

I don’t know that I ever set out consciously to explore specific themes, but themes of redemption and second chances seem to recur in my novels. In Plague, for instance, the protagonist, Richard Wainwright, a former high-profile and very successful CEO, has largely withdrawn from life, both professionally and socially, following the premature death of his wife. But after reluctantly accepting a position as a temporary CEO at a biotech company, he discovers new (and deadly) challenges and even more surprisingly manages to rekindle an old love interest.

How long did it take you to complete the novel?

Including the research, a long time actually. I began writing it in 2003, put it away for awhile to work on what became my first published novel, Eyewall, then revived it in 2010. The final version is the product of about five rewrites.

Are you disciplined? Describe a typical writing day.

I am decidedly disciplined and persistent–it took ten years and four manuscripts before my first novel was published–but there is no typical writing day for me. One day I may have a chance to complete only one page, another day I may reel off eight or more. Some days I may not work on my current novel at all, blogging or cranking out a short story instead. I grab time where I can find it. If necessary, I’ll sacrifice golf in favor of writing. Fortunately, I’m a terrible golfer, so it’s not a huge sacrifice.

What did you find most challenging about writing this book?

The amount of research I had to do for it. Usually my thrillers center on some aspect of weather–I’m a meteorologist by trade and training–so they’re pretty easy for me to write. But virology and bio-weapons were something entirely foreign, but very interesting, to me. I did a great deal of background work using the Internet, and also read about half a dozen books on the subject.

What do you love most about being an author?

Just the satisfaction of completing a project and then hearing someone say, “I really enjoyed that.”

Did you go with a traditional publisher, small press, or did you self publish? What was the process like and are you happy with your decision?

My publisher is BelleBooks. They were essentially a small, independent press when my first novel was published with them, but since then have grown into what might be termed a “mid-major.” I’m extremely happy with them. They’ve been able to leverage the tectonic shifts that have occurred within the publishing industry and have been very responsive to me as an individual. I feel like part of the company.

Publishing under a pen name to keep his personal life separate from his writing life, Richard Blunt was raised in the heart of Europe, in a nation where English is not the native language. Like his heroes, Richard Blunt is nothing more than a shadow – a spectre that whispers a story for everyone to hear.

Book description

Lucas and the others shift into high gear to avenge their injured friend. But when an unexpected foe arrives at the scene they quickly find themselves in a life or death situation that not even their extraordinary skills can solve. Realizing that they have bitten off more than they can chew Lucas desperately starts looking for trustworthy allies, just to find out once again that things are never as easy as they appear at first. Can they survive the battles at hand? Will they be able to tell friend from foe? Or will the epic quest they have stumbled into be too much for them to handle? Follow Lucas Trent and his friends through an action-paced story of mysteries, secrets and deceptions and find out

Definitely not. I would maybe call myself a born storyteller, but even that is subject to debate.

What was your inspiration for “Lucas Trent – Grand Theft Magic”?

Well, the whole Lucas Trent storyline had been in my head for a long time. The actual writing was inspired by people that I told parts of the story to, who almost bullied me into writing it down. The current book, “Grand Theft Magic”, is part three of that story. And beside the inspiration that was there in the beginning this one is also inspired by a lot of feedback that I got over the years from my readers.

What themes do you like to explore in your writing?

I don’t explore anything in my writing, as in the end the writing is nothing more than persisting something that has already been explored in my head long before I even start. What it’s all about for me is something deeper. For me to write a story I must first know every detail about the characters. That part is the one I really like to explore most.

How long did it take you to complete the novel?

First word to final publishing? A little more than a year. But there is a lot of idle time in between, both during writing and during the final steps afterwards.

Are you disciplined? Describe a typical writing day.

No, I am for sure not. *laugh* And there is no typical writing day. I get up early in the morning, go to work, just like most other people do, have a normal social life, etc. Writing is just something that goes in between when I have time left, and am motivated to do so.

What did you find most challenging about writing this book?

There were two things this time. For one, this is the first book that incorporated feedback from readers and reviewers alike. Getting that many nuances in without compromising my own style was quite a hard thing to do. (And I am still not sure if I got it right…) For the other, there is this issue with sexuality that keeps coming up again and again. And why shouldn’t it? My main character is 16 years old. Which boy that age doesn’t think about girls most of the time? The challenge is in writing those thoughts and interactions in a way that is still feasible for young people to read. After all, I don’t want to get rated R…

What do you love most about being an author?

There is a lot that I love about it. First of all, I like the control. The book is exactly what I wanted it to be, from the story itself, via the cover, the trailer, the homepage, everything. So there is nobody else to blame when it goes wrong. I was in control all the time, the result is mine, top to bottom. But I think even more than the control in writing I like hearing people talk about my story. There is nothing better than that, especially when they don’t know that you are listening.

Did you go with a traditional publisher, small press, or did you self publish? What was the process like and are you happy with your decision?

I went down the self publishing route. (Like I did with my first two books.) The process is rough, it’s a lot of work and it’s not exactly cheap. But by now I have smoothened out most of the edges, so it’s not THAT bad. And yes, I am quite happy with that decision. I would maybe consider other options if they should pop up, but I will always happily go down the same path again as well.

Where can we find you on the web?

My homepage is http://www.lucastrent.com/ You will find the link to my blog there, and of course I am also on Facebook and Twitter, with the corresponding links also being there.

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Foreword Best Book of the Year Winner, 2011 Global eBooks Awards Winner, National Best Books Award Finalist and EPPIE Finalist! Currently required reading at Loyola College, Kent University and Claremont University.